(I was not in class on Tuesday, so I did not complete Part 1 of the blog)
For my class project I would like to go to the Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial. There are several reasons for this (one of which is ease of transportation), but I am particular interested in how musicians view the wall. The Vietnam War has been a target of criticism across many genres of music throughout the last few decade. I am a lover of music and I think being able to prove a historical question pertaining to how music was affected by the Vietnam War. Another interesting topic would be to research how the violence of the war ultimately affected the memorial’s construction. The memorial has been criticized as being too somber and impersonal. Senator James Webb, an initial supporter of the memorial’s construction changed his mind after the design was drawn; reported saying: “I never in my wildest dreams imagined such a nihilistic slab of stone.” Although it tends to be praised by most visitors, it would be interesting to look into the side of those who are unhappy with the final product of the Vietnam Memorial. One last possible research topic could be the emotions of visiting veterans in pictures. The image of the Vietnam Vet weeping solemnly to himself in front the name of a fallen comrade is extremely iconic.